New findings say vitamin D supplementation could help us live longer.
While vitamin D is known to support bone health, the latest study, led by researchers at Mass General Brigham (MGB) and the Medical College of Georgia, says it could also slow biological aging.
The study, which was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that supplementing with the vitamin was linked to a shortening of telomeres, the small caps of DNA that deteriorate over time. The study examined more than 1,000 adults in the United States and discovered that daily vitamin D3 intake over a four-year period was correlated with a reduction in wear and tear that equated to almost three years of aging.
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, nearly 40% of Americans are deficient in vitamin D. Stephanie Schiff, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Northwell Huntington Hospital, says even people who get plenty of sunlight may be lacking in it.
Of course, like anything, too much of a good thing can also be harmful. Last year, David Mitchener succumbed to severe hypercalcemia, when too much calcium accumulates in the body. The condition was concluded to be caused by an overabundance of vitamin D discovered in Mitchener’s body.
The latest study divided participants into two groups: one taking a daily 2,000 IU dose of vitamin D3 alongside one gram of omega-3 fatty acids, and the other a placebo. Telomere length in white blood cells was measured at the onset of the trial, two years in, and a third time after four years.
The placebo group was found to have substantially more telomere shortening compared to the group taking the supplement.
Co-author JoAnn Manson, MD, principal investigator of the study and chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said the findings are the “first large-scale and long-term randomized trial to show that vitamin D supplements protect telomeres and preserve telomere length,” per a May 21 press release.
According to Manson, the study also found that the critical nutrient reduces inflammation and lowers the chances of developing certain chronic diseases linked to aging.